Meet The Furlings
by spacegypsy1
Summary: A somewhat whacked out Daniel and Vala Romance. Danger, rescue, Furlings too!


Meet the Furlings

spacegypsy1

A somewhat whacked out Daniel and Vala Romance. Danger, rescue, Furlings too!

A/N: Okay, one of those voices in my head (some of you may refer to yours as muse or muses but I tend to think of mine as a bit more bizarre than that) but anyway, one of them went off the deep end...so...here ya go!

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Daniel, with his arm outstretched and Beretta aimed behind him, ran as if the hounds of hell chased him. Which, of course, they did. His backpack, P-90, vest, and unimaginably, the GDO had been left behind.

Vala was yelling at him, also having trained her handgun on the pack of beasts. "Daniel, I don't have the GDO!"

"I know, we left everything! It was run or die! Son of a bitch! I'll dial up PR2-721, Reynolds is due there next week!" He was huffing for breath as the wolf-like hounds grew closer. "You just be ready to dive through the Gate the instant it settles."

"Mitchell and Muscles," Vala yelled back, taking a quick glance his way, "will be back here sometime today, we have to warn them!"

"I know, I know!"

The creatures were closing in. Daniel shot off a round into the ground in front of them but they just kept coming and their numbers were growing. He didn't have to plan to know he had one shot at saving Vala. After that he was toast...or more correctly raw meat.

The hounds appeared to be no more than skin and bones. Not a good sign. Oddly, they wore leather coverings across areas of hackled dark sparse fur. Both the front and hind legs were long and bent almost cricket like. Claws ravaged the ground sending turf and clouds of dust into the frenzy. The creature's wild, yellow eyes were trained on their prey.

From this distance he could make out the fangs, dripping with saliva, bared and snapping, looking sharp and jagged. Also not a good sign. _God help us. _Daniel almost stumbled as he reached the DHD. Raising the Beretta a bit higher, he flicked his eyes back and forth between the beasts, Vala, and the DHD.

He dialed faster than he'd ever dialed before.

Vala, handgun steadied in both hands did a 360. The beasts, who had slowed, were surrounding them, crouching low, snarling and inching forward.

The Kawoosh settled, and the hounds paused for a moment.

Daniel had his Beretta aimed and without looking he held out the other hand in Vala's direction. "Toss me your gun – but not until you're at the horizon...now go!" When she stood her ground he yelled, "Vala, damn it, GO! I'll be right behind you!"

"Ha! I've heard that before! And you need my gun because you plan on holding them off and shutting down the Gate when I'm gone so they won't follow. Clever."

"Go, damn it!"

"You go first."

"VALA! Stop arguing and go."

"No! I won't leave you here to die alone." She flinched realizing the hounds were inching forward.

"They're on the move. Time's running out, get to the Gate I'll hold them off until...shit!" Knowing it was hopeless, he didn't lie to her. "There's no sense in both of us dying, Vala."

"Oh, just lovely, darling...I may or may not make it but if I do I'd be destined to spend the rest of my life haunted with the image of the only man I have ever truly loved torn to shreds and eaten alive. No thank you! I'm staying. You go."

Surprised, he cut his eyes her way then back in an instant. Daniel scanned the wild eyed, frothing at the mouth, dragon faced hounds that creeped slowly forward. "So you're saying I'm supposed to go?" He managed another short, piercing glance in her direction before taking his gaze back to the creepy abominations closing in for the kill.

Vala had come closer, standing with her back to his. "No. Not really."

Stepping back, he leaned ever so slightly against her. "Good, because I've already done the 'lose the one you love' thing once. I'm not up for it again." He felt her move, like a caress, against his back.

"Well, at least I finally managed to get myself into a situation where you could say how you felt out loud...well sort of...instead of those telling looks you send my way with your lovely blue eyes. Unfortunately it happened as I'm about to become dinner to a pack of wild whatevers."

"Please go through the Gate, Vala. Please." He begged, the urgency in his voice tinted with a breath of despair.

"Nope." Vala moved, slowly, eyes trained on their predators. She stayed close to his body as she came around facing him so that her right shoulder pressed into the right side of his chest but she could still keep an eye on their six. Daniel managed to run his hand across her midriff and clamp onto her side pulling her closer.

"Vala."

The pleading and heart-wrenching emotion as he spoke her name washed through her. She was tempted just to please him. "No, Daniel! We can't both make it and we both know the moment I'm through you'll shut the Gate. You don't have much ammo and actually, well, I have much less than a round. I won't do it. There's no way you would survive. I'm scared like I have never been scared before, but I will not leave you to die the hero! I'd rather die myself!"

Horrified, he looked down at her and saw the determination in her eyes. He tried to drag her closer to the ramp, watched in horror as several of the beasts crouched, snarling before the shimmering horizon. Daniel took one last look back at the pack as they closed in slinking along on their bellies, growling low, saliva dripping. He roughly yanked Vala in front of him as he spun, placing her between his body and the DHD, crushing her into his embrace.

The hounds began to growl fiercely.

Daniel crushed Vala tighter into his arms placing his Beretta against the back of her head.

Shocked, she gasped and Daniel took her mouth in a desperate, bruising kiss.

Her handgun suddenly bumped into the back of his neck.

The feel of her handgun made him shiver with a sudden image of Vala ripped from his dead arms and eaten alive. He pushed her away, "Shit, Vala!" Daniel ripped the gun from her hand and lifted her into his arms. If nothing else, at least he could attempt to throw her into the Gate.

Vala cried out, fighting and Daniel lost his footing, and his last chance to save her. He stumbled backwards, falling, taking Vala with him. He landed with a thud and she landed on top of him. The hounds drew closer and Daniel rolled over, taking her under him.

Several hounds sniffed, growled, nudged him. Eyes nearly blinded by tears he raised his Beretta to her head, waiting for the first bite to pierce his skin. One last look, he wanted one last look. Blue eyes locked with gray. He smiled, lips quivering. "Did I happen to mention that I love you?"

Vala squeezed her eyes closed, "No, wait! Say it, again! Say it!" And then without giving him time to say he loved her, knowing what he was about to do, she slammed her hands over her ears.

"That will not be necessary, Dr. Jackson."

Dismayed, Daniel turned towards the voice. The beast sat back, then rose on its hind legs morphing into a very tall, sinewy, woman.

Moving off of Vala, Daniel sat up, watching as more of the hounds took human form. His body seemed to sink into itself with relief. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and emotionally drained, he just sat there staring in awe. He finally closed his eyes a moment feeling sick for nearly taking Vala's life. Dizziness assailed him, he trembled uncontrollably and he truly thought he would throw up.

Vala's eyes popped open, and she took her hands from her ears, looking for blood, guts and body parts...or possibly she was dead and didn't feel a thing, except that Daniel was beside her looking pale or quite possibly a bit green. She glanced around again this time spotting a large group of people and she smiled. "Oh, perfect timing. Nice rescue." She suddenly turned to Daniel. "Where'd the wolf thingies go?"

He sighed as he rose to his feet. "Shapeshifters." Daniel mumbled.

"Hardly." The woman looked offended. "Nor are we symbiotic – it is who we are."

"And," Vala asked as she took Daniel's offered hand to pull her up. "Who might that be?"

"We are the Furlings."

Daniel stepped back a pace, appalled. "Before today, I would have been happy to meet you. Not so sure now."

Accepting his odd retort, the leader turned, gesturing for the others to follow before addressing the couple. "If you would like to follow us to our village, perhaps we could explain."

Seemingly uninterested, or perhaps still in shock, Daniel stared at the woman's retreating back.

Vala made some adjustments to her twisted clothing. "I have to warn you people about those horrible hound-like monster, creepy creatures on your planet that try to eat people."

Looking over his shoulder Daniel rolled his eyes and informed her quite firmly, "Vala. They are the hound-like...creepy creatures."

"Oh." Dusting off her backside, Vala tossed her head, fluffed her hair and tried to smile as she pointed at the Furlings. "Daniel, I don't think I can walk, you follow, I'll wait right here."

He sighed. "I know the feeling. But it's not that far, we can rest when we get there."

"I know how far it is - we just ran from there for our very lives and now we're going back for an explanation...or perhaps for dinner...as the main course!"

"You have a better idea?"

"Actually, I do. Let's sit right here and wait for Muscles and Mitchell to come and carry us home. Can't be long now." Vala plopped down on her six, and patted the ground beside her.

Without a fight, Daniel sat, nearly collapsing onto the dirt. The two stared off towards the odd group in the distance.

He attempted a smile. "We could always come back later for an explanation. Right?" He dropped his head, his eyes cutting to her.

The Gate sounded behind them.

"Ah, that would be Mitchell! And he can go hear the explanation. I'm going to have Muscles carry me back home - literally." Vala tried to turn her head towards the Gate behind her as the second symbol clicked in place, but thought better of it and laid over on Daniel's shoulder instead.

"Yeah. I can send a delegation back. I'm not that thrilled about meeting them anymore." Daniel wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer.

Just as the last sequence clicked into place and the kawoosh fanned out, Vala suddenly had a thought. Sitting up, she backed a bit away from Daniel. "You didn't say it! You didn't say it and you tried to kill me! You stuck a gun to my head!"

Teal'c and Mitchell stopped suddenly having heard.

Daniel blinked, eyes narrowed and mouth set in annoyed position. "You stuck a gun to my head, too! Annndddd, I did say it! I said, 'have I told you how much I love you'!"

"That is not what you said, and what you said," she insisted closing the gap and coming nose to nose, "is NOT saying it! That is asking a question!"

"I...I..."

Teal'c and Mitchell exchanged puzzled looks. They came down a step or two towards Daniel and Vala, Mitchell rested his arms on his P-90 and Teal'c locked his hands behind his back.

"And," Vala continued, unaware of the two watching them closely from behind her. "Could you or would you have actually pulled the trigger?"

Daniel seemed to deflate. "Absolutely." His voice was serious and his annoyed expression faded.

With that statement she settled down, laying her head on his arm again. "You do love me. How awful that would have been, I mean had you survived somehow. But thank you, darling. I would have done the same thing had you not stolen my gun."

"I know." His hand went to her hair. "Vala, I love you."

She popped up, grinning wide. "That makes two of us!"

"What?" He scowled.

"Oh...heehee...I mean, me too."

"That's better." Gathering her in his arms, Daniel kissed her softly.

Mitchell cleared his throat, but when the two only deepened the kiss, he barked out. "Somebody wanna tell me what the hell's goin' on here?"

~END~


End file.
